Sunshine on a Cloudy Day
by ghostwriter122
Summary: Maria decides not to leave after the party. COMPLETED... Read and Review!
1. I'll stay

**Sunshine on a Cloudy Day**

A/N:  Let's just pretend that the Anchluss never happened so the Von Trapps don't get kicked out of Austria.  Takes place the night of the party right after he talk with the Baroness.

DISCLAIMER:  Anything you recognize, I don't own.  Also, the title is from the song "My Girl" by The Temptations.

~*~

Maria stared out of the window of her bedroom.  The darkness outside mirrored the darkness in her heart.  She was confused and scared and she was filled with new emotions.  Her stomach was twisting itself into knots and her heart felt like it was fluttering away.  

This was neither a dog's bit nor a bee's sting and it wasn't quite a bad feeling and she didn't know what to do about it.

She didn't want to take the Baroness' advice, though.

The party noises downstairs interrupted her thoughts.  She smiled as she remembered the children's performance.  They had been so excited and she just loved watching their faces shine with happiness when they knew they were the centre of attention.  She was so pleased that they no longer had to find attention in doing stupid things like putting frogs in people's pockets and glue on people's toothbrushes.  They had their father's attention.  For now at least.  What would happen when he married the Baroness?

Her mind was all muddled with thoughts.  She pushed down firmly on the pile of clothing in her half-packed suitcase.  She could just as easily unpack it as she could close it.  She looked at the letter she had already written.  It was laying on the night-table; it looked so foreboding just laying there, its message bearing inevitable disappointment.  She just couldn't give up on the children or on her mission.  What would the reverend mother think?

~*~

The next morning, the children were sitting around the breakfast table with the Captain, Uncle Max and the Baroness.  They were waiting for Maria, who was late for the first time since her first night there.

The children all looked at each other worriedly as their father tapped his fingers on the table and cleared his throat.

"Well," said the Baroness brightly.  The children all turned their attention to her, "I'm sure Maria is just feeling a little bit ill after all the excitement last night.  Perhaps it would do well to start without her."  The children continued to stare at her and none of them responded.

The Captain stopped tapping his fingers against the table and instead stared at each of his children's somber faces. 

"Maybe we'll wait a little bit longer.  If she's not down in five minutes, we can send Frau Schmidt up to check on her."  The children nodded in agreement.

"That sounds like a good idea, father."  Brigitta responded for all the children

"Well, I don't know," began the Baroness, "the food might be cold by then.  And besides, what if she's gone?  We could wait for hours and she wouldn't come" A small smile was forming on her face.  The children looked at her puzzled.

"Gone?" whispered Gretl, "Why would she go?"  Marta and Gretl looked at each other worriedly.

"Oh, I don't think she's gone anywhere, children," said their father firmly, "I'm sure the Baroness was just being silly."  His tone was daring her to disagree.

"Oh, please, I'd like to hear the joke," said a clear voice from behind the Captain, "I'm sorry I'm late, children, but I guess I overslept."

"Maria!" Exclaimed Gretl, "You haven't gone!"

"Well, of course I haven't gone, Gretl.  What gave you that silly idea?" but Maria turned to exchange dark looks with the Baroness.

"Well, now that Maria is here, we can have our breakfast!" declared the Captain, breaking the troubled silence. 

**Tell me what you think.  It's my first fanfic for TSOM, so I'll need plenty of advice!**


	2. A silent tear

**Sunshine on a Cloudy Day**

A/N: Please read and REVIEW!! Reviews make my day (Okay, I'm aware that I sound very losery right now, so I'll shut up and let you read)

DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognize, I don't own.  Title belongs to "My Girl" by The Temptations, yada yada yada.

~*~

As Maria sat down at the table, Max and the Baroness picked up their forks in anticipation of the meal.

The Captain cleared his throat yet again and said,

"We have made it a custom to say grace before our meals."  The children were already holding hands, their heads bowed.

"I didn't know you had become so religious, Georg," said Max - his first words the whole meal.  The Baroness sniggered quietly until the Captain gave her a reprimanding glare.

"While Maria lives under this roof, we will continue to say grace before every meal and I will not have you mocking our religious observances."  

Max and the Baroness sheepishly took hold of the children's hands and bowed their heads.  Maria could see the children sneaking delighted glances at each other.

"For the food we are about to eat may the Lord make us truly thankful."  A chain of Amens responded to the Captain's short and unsentimental prayer. 

Maria stared at the Captain, marveling over the fact that he had remembered the small incantation from her first night at the Von Trapp house.

~*~

After breakfast, the children all headed upstairs to change into their play clothes.  Maria had suggested they go bike riding and they were all eagerly anticipating the activity.  Maria followed the children up the steps to change from her meal clothes into a more durable dress.

"A word, Maria," the Baroness called to her.  The children stopped to look at Maria questioningly.

"Go ahead, children, I'll only be a minute."  The children continued up the steps slowly, eyeing the Baroness suspiciously.

"Yes? Is there something you wanted?" asked Maria, nervously.

"Actually, there is," replied the Baroness quite nonchalantly, "I'd prefer it if you ate in the kitchen from now on.  I've discussed it with Georg and he seemed to agree that it was a good idea." 

Maria could feel the lump building up in her throat, but she refused to give the Baroness the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"Very well, then," she said quietly, "but I would have thought that a respected Baroness such as yourself would have more to worry about than where the _governess_ eats her meals."  

Maria turned her back on the Baroness and trudged up the staircase, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks.  She didn't dare look at the Baroness.  She was scared what would happen.  Oh, what would happen?  Had the Captain really said that Maria should eat in the kitchen with the _servants? _

She closed the door to her bedroom quietly behind her just as the first tear slid down her cheek.

**Please tell me what you think!! I need all the advice I can get!**


	3. Riding apparel

**Sunshine on a Cloudy Day**

A/N: Please read and REVIEW!! It's my first SOM fic.  I don't care if you love it or hate it, just please be honest and review.  Please please please.

DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognize, I don't own. This includes the situations, places and characters (The Sound of Music) and the title (My Girl by The Temptations).

~*~

Maria stood in her room leaning against the large, heavy doors.  She breathed deeply to hold in the tears and finally, she had calmed herself down slightly.

Hadn't the Baroness told her mere nights ago that the Captain _loved_ her?  While she hadn't been at all happy with this thought, she found it quite hard to believe that he had descended her to the level of the servants.  

In fact, Maria was not even getting paid for her work, she was working as part of her job as a postulant.  She was doing charity.

But what about the children?  She sighed again.  She couldn't leave them.  A little knock on the door startled her and she turned to open it.

"Maria, what's wrong?" asked Gretl as she stepped into the room.

"Oh, nothing, sweetheart, I was just thinking."  Gretl nodded knowingly, "sometimes when father thinks about things, he looks like that too."

"Gretl, I can only shudder to think how many secrets you have spilled to the various governesses over the years," came a voice from the doorway.  Both Gretl and Maria turned around at the sound of the voice.

"Captain!" said Maria, startled.

"I'm sorry, Freulein, I didn't mean to disturb," muttered the Captain sheepishly as he retreated to the hallway.

"Oh, not at all!" exclaimed Maria, "was there something you wanted?" she added for respect's sake.

"No, I'm sorry to disturb, it was wrong of me," he repeated, looking more forlorn.

"Father, I think you should ask Maria why she was crying before," suggested Gretl, "instead of running off again."

The Captain looked at Maria strangely.  He was trying to figure out what she thinking, but at the same time, she knew why she was feeling what she felt.

"Ahh, Maria has been thinking," he said wisely.

"And the Captain has been listening at the door," joked Maria.

"Okay, I admit you've caught me," he said throwing his hands up in the air, "and I also think that there are six very excited children standing just down the hallway.  So, we'll have to continue this rendezvous after the bike-riding escapade you are about to lead my children on!"

"I do not lead your children on _escapades!_" Maria cried with false indignation.

"Adventures, then, whatever you prefer to call them," they smiled at each other, Maria's spirits lifted.  She just didn't understand why the Captain wanted her to eat in the kitchen.

He looked at her, anticipating her next move.

"Well," he finally prompted her impatiently, "are you, or aren't you going to take the children bike-riding?  Need I come with you to supervise?"

Maria's face blushed a deep crimson.

"You can come if you want, Captain, only, well…"  Maria hesitated, but Gretl finished for her, 

"Father, she has to change her dress!  She can't ride in that!"  Maria's face blush an even deeper red and the Captain's ears turned pink as he stepped out of the room followed by a grinning Gretl who closed the door softly behind her.

**I know this chapter was pointless, so sorry for that.  Please REVIEW!!**


	4. Revelations

**Sunshine on a Cloudy Day**

A/N: Please read and REVIEW!!!! (you know you wanna)

DISCLAIMER: Anything that you recognize, I don't own.  Chances are that even if you don't recognize it, it's not mine.

~*~

As soon as the Baroness found out that her relaxing morning with Georg was going to be pushed off because he wanted to go bike-riding, she insisted that she come along as well.

The children, the Captain and Maria were all forced to wait as yet another person changed.  Nearly fifteen minutes later, the Baroness came down the steps, her hair pulled up in an extravagant traveling shawl and wearing a dainty outfit beige to match, all the way down to the painful looking beige slippers.

"I'm ready, Darling!" she waved to the Captain, and Maria noted her particular stress on the word 'darling'.

"Are you sure you want to wear that?" asked the Captain as he eyed her outfit reproachfully.

"Why, don't you think it's pretty?" she asked in mock contempt.

"It's lovely, only-"

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Father," Leisl stated firmly, a glint in her eyes, "but we're getting quite restless, and we should go."  The Captain nodded and waited at the bottom of the stairs for the Baroness to descend to him before following Maria and the children out the door.

~*~

"Maria, did you see me?!" marveled Gretl.

"Yes, darling, you were wonderful!" exclaimed the freulein stooping down to encompass the little girl in her embrace.

The Baroness limped in behind them, the skirt of her outfit dirtied on the bottom and her knee bleeding and dirty.  She was leaning on the Captain for support and as soon as they entered the house, she smoothed her dress over and announced she was going to nap before lunch.  The children giggled quietly between themselves until they were silences by a stern glare from their father.

Frau Schmidt approached them.

"Lunch will be ready in about half an hour," she stated.

"Gretl, you were wonderful!" their father declared, "are you certain that you've never ridden a bike before?"  Gretl nodded happily.

"Never!" she exclaimed.

Freidrich piped up, "last time we went riding, you had to sit on the back of Maria's bike." All the children laughed in remembrance of the week that their father had been in Vienna.  It had been upsetting that he was gone, of course, but it had also been their time of rediscovery.  That was when Maria was re-teaching them the meaning of happiness.

 The Captain glanced at his children uncomfortably.  He hated himself for what he had put them through after Agathe died.  Maria noticed his discomfort.

"Children, go clean up for lunch!" she said.  They all obeyed, Marta stopping to give Maria a kiss on the cheek before heading up the stairs.

The Captain watched after them thoughtfully.

"They don't blame you," Maria stated softly, reading his mind.  He shook his head, startled.  

"I know," he finally said sadly, "but I do."  Maria gazed at the Captain.  He tried so hard to seem tough, but deep down; he was suffering as badly as anyone else.  He faced her and returned the gaze.

"Maria…" he said wistfully.  Her face was becoming hot and she couldn't seem to stop looking at him with that same intense gaze.

"I-" she began, "I should get ready for lunch," she said finally, tearing her eyes away from his, she moved slowly towards the staircase.

She ascended the staircase, her mind muddled in thought.

~*~

Lunch was set when the children sat at the table.  Their father walked in seconds later followed by the Baroness.  Max was out to lunch with an old chum.

"Is Maria late… again?" he asked.  Frau Schmidt approached the table bearing platters of food.

"Of course not, Captain," she stated briskly with a glance at the Baroness, "she is in the kitchen as you asked."  Leisl looked at her father angrily and the Captain looked at Frau Schmidt shocked.

"But, I would never-!" he cried flabbergasted.

"Maybe," began Frau Schmidt, "you should consul the Baroness."  All eyes turned to the Baroness who looked back at them sheepishly.


	5. Ballroom discussions

**Sunshine on a Cloudy Day**

A/N: Please read and REVIEW!!! To all of you who have reviewed thus far, thanks! You guys are the best!!!

DISCLAIMER: Pretty much anything you recognize, I don't own.

~*~

Maria stood up as the Captain stormed into the kitchen.  He had not entered this part of the house in so long and he looked so out of place in his suit and tie amongst the sinks and dirty dishes that decorated the large but plain kitchen.

"Maria," he approached her, "why are you eating in here alone?"

"Captain," Maria started, confused but delighted that he had taken the time to come find her, "I thought- but the Baroness-"

"-was wrong," the Captain finished for her, "I have come to apologize on her behalf as she will no longer be here to apologize."

"But-" the captain held up a hand, "I don't understand," she finished.

"The Baroness," he sighed, "has returned to Vienna."

Maria opened her mouth to respond.

"… for good," he finished. Maria looked at him and he returned his hand to his side.  

"Now," he said, his tone considerably lighter, "lunch is waiting and so are the children."  Maria followed the Captain- flabbergasted as she was- to the dining room.

The children were whispering to each other when they approached the table.  The minute they arrived however, the room quieted.  Maria looked from child to child as she went to sit at her seat across from the Captain.  All of the children were grinning impishly.  She would have to ask them about it later.

"Maria," said the Captain holding his hands out to the children on either side of him and bowing his head, "would you do us the honor of saying grace?" 

Maria grinned and nodded taking hold of Marta and Kurt's hands.  

"For the food we are about to eat may the Lord make us truly thankful," she said, her clear voice resonating through the room.  A chorus of Amen's responded and everyone dug into their food that had, by now, become rather cold but that was still very tasty.

~*~

Later that afternoon, the children were all lazing about on the back terrace drinking lemonade and tossing balls back and forth, skipping rope and doing pretty much whatever they pleased.  Maria watched them comfortably.  Brigitta approached Maria silently and the other children watched intently, Kurt had a large smile plastered on his face.

"Maria," she began and Maria faced her, "Father must really like you to kick the Baroness out after what she did." 

Maria tried to look only slightly amused, but really she was starving to hear what had happened while she had been in the kitchen.

"Yeah," interjected Louisa, "when Frau Schmidt told us what had happened, Father looked positively enraged." The older children all nodded.

"I've never seen him like that before," said Freidrich, "well, aside from the time that we put spiders in Freulein Josephine's bed and Father had to convince her that she had not been poisoned by the big black one's bite."  The other children grinned in memory but continued to nod. 

They all looked up as they heard footsteps approaching them,

"Yes," said an amused Captain, "I don't remember Freulein Josephine being too pleased about that."  The children looked anxiously at each other.  How much had their father heard?

"I think," said their father after a second, "that it is time for my children to go and get a head start on their reading for school."  The children all groaned audibly but obeyed their father.

"What _shall_ I do with my little tell-tale children?" the Captain asked in mock digress.

"Perhaps you should put glue on their toothbrushes so their mouths will be closed shut?" suggested Maria with a twinkle in her eyes.

The Captain leaned over the railing of the terrace and Maria followed suit.

"I'm sorry that had to happen. With the Baroness, I mean," he said gazing across the water.

"It's alright," said Maria slowly, looking at the Captain's thoughtful face, "I don't hold it against you," she added just to be sure he didn't think that she did.

"Why can't I seem to do anything right?" he asked nobody in particular and he turned around to face the house.

"You have done so many things right," Maria replied, "you have seven wonderful children who adore you, innumerable awards mantled on your wall, a lovely house, a-" The Captain looked at Maria and his expression made her stop talking.

"I must have done something right," he said softly, "to have deserved for you to come and fix everything I'd done wrong."  Maria blushed and her face felt hot, his gaze looking straight into her soul.

"And I-" she took in a deep breath, "must have done something right to deserve to come and work here," she breathed, "I don't know what I'll do when I return to the Abbey -- probably sit all day long thinking of my summer here." 

"Yes," muttered the Captain, "and we shall be doing the same."  The sound of the children singing flooded their ears and they entered the house once again to see what they were up to.

~*~

Late that night, after the children had gone to sleep, Maria heard a soft knock at the door.

"Come in," she called.  Frau Schmidt walked in smiling.

"The Captain would like to see you," she said happily.  Maria stood up and put on her dressing gown.

"Where is he?" she tried not to sound too anxious.

"In the ball-room," Frau Schmidt replied, turning around and exiting the room quietly.

Maria approached the ball-room nervously.  What could he possibly want with her?  She pushed the heavy door open and entered the room, looking at the Captain who was standing in the middle of the floor.

"Maria," he said, looking at her and gasping.  She looked like an angel in her white dressing gown underneath the soft ball-room lights.

"Is there something you need?" she asked him, not knowing what else to say.

"Yes," he whispered, his eyes searching her hungrily, "I mean, no.  I mean, I don't know."  Maria looked at him confused, her heart fluttering in her chest.

"I have to ask you a favour," he said finally.  She nodded and breathed in sharply as he stepped closer toward her.  She could see the small creases in his otherwise flawless lips and she could smell the soft lotion that he applied to his face after showering.

"Yes?" she whispered finally.

"Will you stay here?" he asked, his voice a soft moan, "I mean after the summer.  Please," he begged with his words and his eyes "don't return to the Abbey.  For me- for the children." 

Maria didn't know what to say.  Her brain didn't seem to be working properly.  She suddenly felt very bare in only her dressing gown, but she was hot as well, despite the sheerness of the fabric.

"I- I don't know what to say," she said softly.  He looked at her wistfully, his eyes taking in the perfection of her face, her figure…

"What would the Reverend Mother say?" she said finally.

"I think," stated the Captain, "that she would be more upset if you did _not _stay."  Maria looked at him, shocked for a moment, but then completely at ease. She was so calm in his presence and yet also so fluttery.

She smiled softly,

"Yes," she whispered finally, "I can see why you would say that."  That Captain and she both smiled slightly.

"Maria…" he moaned again, "at least, at least consider it."  She nodded and he took another step closer till they were almost touching. 

He placed his hand softly on her cheek and she flinched slightly until she realized how soft and warm his hand was.  She nuzzled her face into his palm and closed her eyes until she realized what she was doing.

"Yes," she said, taking a step back, "I- I'll think about it," and she turned and left leaving the Captain feeling more alone than ever in the middle of the ball-room.

**Review PLEASE!!!**

**R E V I E W ! !**


	6. The children are out

**Sunshine on a Cloudy Day**

A/N: Please REVIEW ME!

DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I don't own anything.

~*~

Maria returned to her room, her stomach fluttering and her heart pounding.  She fell asleep that night dreaming of the Captain's soft touch and seeing his soft smile in her memory.

~*~

The next morning, Maria was nervous to face him again.  They had come unprofessionally close last night, but it had felt so good.  She pulled herself out of bed and, as she dressed, she thought of his request.  She thought of her past few weeks.  She would never be happy at the Abbey after being part of something so beautiful.  She sighed audibly as she headed down the stairs to the dining room.  

The children had not yet arrived and it was just herself and the Captain.

"Good morning," she said happily, taking her seat at the head of the table.  He looked at her nervously.

"Good morning," he replied, "The children went out for a walk.  They packed their lunches.  Leisl said they wanted to give you a break." He smiled at her self-consciously.

"How sweet of them," Maria yawned, "I hope they're alright."

"Leisl is sixteen, she's very capable, I'm sure they'll be fine," the Captain said softly.

"Well, in that case, I think I'll head upstairs and lie in for a little longer."

"But-!" The Captain began and Maria turned back to face him.

"-your breakfast," he finished lamely.  Maria looked at him strangely.

"I suppose," She said finally, "that I can go lie down after breakfast?" The Captain nodded at her and Maria took her place at the table.

 "Maria, have you, uh, thought of my offer?" he asked her as he watched her spoon potatoes onto her plate.

"Yes, actually, I thought of it a lot."

"And…?" he asked her anxiously.

"I, I don't know what to do.  My whole heart is telling me to stay here, but the Abbey has been my home for so long…"

"Change can be good, Maria," he said, his eyes begging her to stay.  Her face felt flushed again and she looked at her food.

"I know," she said quietly.  She chuckled softly, "when I first came here I was petrified. Seven children? I told myself I would probably last a few days before finally being so overwhelmed I'd have to be taken to a hospital." She grinned sheepishly, "and then… after you told me the history of the other governesses, well I can admit that I was more than a little bit worried.  But now, I wouldn't trade it for a thing.  For once in my life, I feel like I'm doing something important.  And I feel accepted and loved and, at the same time, I can't help but wonder if it's all for the best."

"Maria," the Captain said, staring straight into her eyes, "The house has never been happier and it will never be the same if you leave."  Maria felt a tear trickle down her cheek. It wasn't a tear of grief, or of happiness, it was just that she had so much emotion built up inside her… she needed to let it out.

"I'll stay," she whispered finally and the Captain beamed happily at her.

"Thank you, Maria," he said so gratefully that Maria wondered how she had ever considered leaving.

Frau Schmidt entered the dining room to take away their plates and Maria stood up, embarrassed at her tears.  She left the room quickly and was on her way upstairs when the Captain stopped her.

"Maria!  Please!  Let's… let's talk."  She nodded quietly and followed the Captain to the sitting room.  There was a fire burning and cackling of the wood made her feel somewhat relieved.

"Yes?" she asked as they each took seats by the fireside.

"I- I'm not sure," the Captain said truthfully, "I just couldn't see you go up there, crying.  I haven't seen my house this happy since Agathe died almost five years ago.  When she died, I didn't know what to do.  I was trying to hold my own life together and try to watch the children too, but I couldn't.  So I, I gave up on the children, I guess and I forced them to the back of my mind while I selfishly tried to piece my life back together."

"Captain, that wasn't selfish-"

"You don't have to try to make me feel better.  It's okay.  I hired straight-backed old women to take care of the children while I traveled across the world in search of something that could make me feel better.  I met the Baroness," he chuckled bitterly, "I thought we were made for each other.  She loved money and I had money.  I needed someone and she was there, so we just kind of accepted that were right for each other.  Then, I came back from Vienna and you were here and you made the Baroness seem old and dull.  You're so full of life and spirit and you made my children happy again.  You did what I couldn't do.  You'll never be able to comprehend how much that means to me."  Maria smiled softly.

"Captain, your children are wonderful little people.  They love you so much; they just didn't understand why you didn't reciprocate their love.  They adore you," she gushed. The Captain smiled.

"You helped me realize that.  Thank you for deciding to stay," he said.  She looked at him and nodded.

"This is my family now," she said quietly.  The Captain scooted closer to her on the couch.  She didn't flinch, but she was getting hotter again and she didn't know whether it was the Captain or the fire that was the source of this heat.

"Maria…" he whispered.  The same urgency was in his voice as had been last night.  He was so close to her that she was sure he could hear her heart pounding so quickly and that he could feel the fluttering of her stomach.

He lowered his head to hers and she closed her eyes as their lips touched softly.  He lifted his hand up to brush against her cheek gently.  Maria's heart was fluttering even quicker.  She had never been kissed before.  She felt her face flush as the kiss deepened and when the Captain's tongue met her lips, she opened her mouth to let it in.  She heard a soft moan come from the base of her throat and the Captain moaned his own deep response.  She raised her hands to his shoulders and pulled him toward her.

"Maria…" he moaned softly, but with a greater urgency in his voice. She felt him kiss her neck and her ears, his hands exploring her body.  She had never felt this in love before.

"Captain," she said finally, though her heart and mind were screaming at her for more, "we should stop.  Not here," she said turning to look at the door.

"You're right," he whispered.

"Maria?"

"Yes?"

"I've never felt this way before in my life."

"Nor have I." The Captain took Maria's hand and led her quietly into his study, closing the door behind him.

**Ugh, my first time writing fluff ever.  Please REVIEW!!!!!**


	7. Fin

**Sunshine on a Cloudy Day**

A/N: Please REVIEW!!! Also, I've never written fluff before, ever, so be nice… I don't know exactly how relationships worked back then, so I'm going to improvise.  If I get some facts wrong, just tell me and I'll fix them for later. REVIEW MOI!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of it.

~*~

Maria followed the Captain to his study, her heart fluttering.  She had not gotten over the enthrallment of the kiss.  Was this proper?  Was it even legal?  She followed him nonetheless, walking quickly to keep up to his pace. 

He shut the door behind them when they reached the room.  It was warm inside and another fire was going in the fireplace.  

"Please, have a seat," he said to her, motioning towards a chair across from his desk.  She sat down hesitantly.

"Captain…" she said, her voice unsteady and unsure.  He was standing with his back to her.

He turned around when she called his name holding a box of chocolates.

"Have one," he offered.  She took a chocolate though she was not at all hungry and looked at it in her hand before speaking up again.

"I don't know if this is right," she said finally.

"I know," he said sadly, "It's probably not.  It's just… being with you makes me feel so… happy, so free."  She smiled at him.

"I know," she said softly, "I feel the same way around you.  But I don't know how the children would feel, how they would take it if we…" she stopped suddenly.  He was watching her intently.

"Maria," he began his voice soft and kind, "I can't live without you.  You right all my wrongs, you make my life complete. Is there any way I could convince you to stay permanently?"

"Permanently?" she asked her voice unsure.  She didn't know how she felt about being in permanent servitude.

"As my wife," he finished unsurely.  She looked at him and stood up,

"I-" He closed the gap between them and took her face in his hands,

"Maria, is there any way, I could convince you to agree to marry me?" he asked, leaning his head down to meet hers.  He caressed her lips with is own, he hugged her close to him and felt her breath on his neck as he kissed her ears and her cheeks.  She was not objecting, so he continued, kissing down her neck making a trail with his soft expressions of love.

"Yes," she whispered as she caught her breath.  She cupped his face in her hands and pulled his mouth towards hers, exploring with her tongue in places she had never been before, "yes," she said again, "yes, yes, yes."  The Captain smiled against her skin and she leant her head against his strong chest.

"I guess the only thing left to do is to inform-"

"The children," they finished in unison and Maria chuckled softly.  Georg gave her one last kiss on the mouth before wrapping his arm around her waist and leading her on a stroll of the garden where they stayed, anticipating the children's arrival.

**The End.**

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